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kathydavie's review
3.0
Seventh in the Faith Fairchild amateur sleuth mystery series revolving around a caterer married to a man of the cloth in Aleford, Massachusetts.
My Take
It's another lovely murder mystery with Faith providing the tasty comfort food against a homey background of motherhood and Reverend Tom with his sermons and bedside comfort. Seems Faith is a little too worried about that "comfort".
A look behind-the-scenes at Aleford's reenactment of the encounter between the British lobsterbacks and the patriots' for the annual Patriots' Day event provides an interesting look at how reverence for the event overtakes everyday resentments and yet side still plays a part.
Hmmm, Faith seems to be concerned about Pix's success at mystery solving as she wants that particular spotlight for herself.
With all the nasty incidents, there's all sorts of finger-pointing going on, and we get all sorts of red herrings between the teacher's secret life and the nasty phone calls she's getting along with the brick through her window. Then there are the poison pen letters that members of POW! are receiving — and that ex-boyfriend of Miss Lora's come under a great deal of scrutiny.
The Story
The town of Aleford is up in arms when they discover one of their own is planning a McMansion development paving over what the town has always thought was conservation land with the access road running between the Fairchilds' house and the church!
Naturally, Millicent puts together a committee to combat this excrescence and the fight is on. Only the fight we see is not the fight that's fought.
It's all too confusing when murder visits both sides of the debate.
The Characters
Faith Fairchild is her usual self. Too nosy for words and a healthy respect for the reality of childraising. Not as secure as she could be with her worries about Tom fooling around and a deep appreciation for quality clothing…Faith seems to be absorbing the New England thrift when she states that their daughter, Amy, will probably be wearing her Donna Karan mini when fashion cycles 'round to it again. Ben is their son.
Pix and Sam Miller are neighbors and friends with Faith and Tom. They have three kids: Mark, Samantha, and Daniel. Nikki is still fighting her family's expectations of a wedding...with anyone.
Millicent Revere McKinley and her ancestors (including Paul Revere) have been in Aleford since time began, and she isn't shy about taking over. She's a pain in Faith's backside. I think POW! is the committee against the development. Lora Deane is Ben's nursery school teacher. Charley MacIsaac is the town police chief while John Dunne is a detective lieutenant with the state police force.
Joey Madsen is a housing developer from Aleford. Deane Construction Company.
The Title
I must confess to being a bit disappointed that cranberries didn't make the menu anywhere…it is in a bog after all! But then again, with The Body in the Bog, maybe the cranberries wouldn't be quite so appetizing.
My Take
It's another lovely murder mystery with Faith providing the tasty comfort food against a homey background of motherhood and Reverend Tom with his sermons and bedside comfort. Seems Faith is a little too worried about that "comfort".
A look behind-the-scenes at Aleford's reenactment of the encounter between the British lobsterbacks and the patriots' for the annual Patriots' Day event provides an interesting look at how reverence for the event overtakes everyday resentments and yet side still plays a part.
Hmmm, Faith seems to be concerned about Pix's success at mystery solving as she wants that particular spotlight for herself.
With all the nasty incidents, there's all sorts of finger-pointing going on, and we get all sorts of red herrings between the teacher's secret life and the nasty phone calls she's getting along with the brick through her window. Then there are the poison pen letters that members of POW! are receiving — and that ex-boyfriend of Miss Lora's come under a great deal of scrutiny.
The Story
The town of Aleford is up in arms when they discover one of their own is planning a McMansion development paving over what the town has always thought was conservation land with the access road running between the Fairchilds' house and the church!
Naturally, Millicent puts together a committee to combat this excrescence and the fight is on. Only the fight we see is not the fight that's fought.
It's all too confusing when murder visits both sides of the debate.
The Characters
Faith Fairchild is her usual self. Too nosy for words and a healthy respect for the reality of childraising. Not as secure as she could be with her worries about Tom fooling around and a deep appreciation for quality clothing…Faith seems to be absorbing the New England thrift when she states that their daughter, Amy, will probably be wearing her Donna Karan mini when fashion cycles 'round to it again. Ben is their son.
Pix and Sam Miller are neighbors and friends with Faith and Tom. They have three kids: Mark, Samantha, and Daniel. Nikki is still fighting her family's expectations of a wedding...with anyone.
Millicent Revere McKinley and her ancestors (including Paul Revere) have been in Aleford since time began, and she isn't shy about taking over. She's a pain in Faith's backside. I think POW! is the committee against the development. Lora Deane is Ben's nursery school teacher. Charley MacIsaac is the town police chief while John Dunne is a detective lieutenant with the state police force.
Joey Madsen is a housing developer from Aleford. Deane Construction Company.
The Title
I must confess to being a bit disappointed that cranberries didn't make the menu anywhere…it is in a bog after all! But then again, with The Body in the Bog, maybe the cranberries wouldn't be quite so appetizing.
amlibera's review
3.0
These are cozy mysteries with lots of specific New England detail. Faith has gotten less Martha Stewarty as the series has gone on and although the structure is a touch formulaic (do we always end up with the murderer imperiling the amateur detective?) All that being said, I find this series an enjoyable read.
ncrabb's review
1.0
Love this series, but this installment bored me to tears. I slept through it and had to repeatedly backtrack. I normally love this series and these characters; for whatever reason, I had to toss this into the bog.
bev_reads_mysteries's review
3.0
Good escape series. Not too taxing, but very entertaining. Three and a half stars.
julieputty's review against another edition
2.0
This one felt clunky and overwrought. The tone and writing both seem different than previous books.
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